Well, second reading debate began on Bill 167 yesterday. The bill
would give same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities as
as opposite-sex common law couples. This is the newspaper report.
From the *Toronto*Star* Thursday 1994 06 02 page A3
copied without permission
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TEARS, SHOUTS PEPPER DEBATE ON SAME-SEX BILL
*MPP ejected from Legislature over behaviour*
by William Walker, Queen's Park bureau chief
There were tear-filled eyes, angry shouts, accusations of lying and
even the rare ejection of an MPP from the Legislature for
unparliamentary behaviour as the debate on same-sex benefits began
yesterday.
Attorney-General Marion Boyd said Ontario MPPs would be encouraging
violations of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms if they defeat
Bill 167, which offers equal benefits to gay and lesbian couples.
"It's contrary to the laws of our land not to provide equality
rights to gays and lesbians," Boyd told the Legislature.
"I do not believe there is an argument that can be credibly made to
justify this discrimination."
She said that failure to pass the bill, thus allowing
discrimination against gays and lesbians to continue, would violate
the equality-rights provisions in Section 15 of the Charter.
"I am certainly satisfied that it is contrary to the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms to not end this discrimination against gay and
lesbian couples," she said.
Her opinion was backed by a group of 26 deans, associate deans and
professors of law from several Ontario universities, who sent a
detailed legal opinion to Liberal Leader Lyn McLeod and Progressive
Conservative Leader Mike Harris, who both oppose the bill.
"We do not invoke our status as teachers and scholars of law
lightly. Indeed, most if not all of us rarely interact with the
legislative process at this stage and in this manner," the group
wrote McLeod and Harris in a May 31 letter.
"However, we feel we cannot stand by and endorse by our silence a
position that each of you (McLeod and Harris) has taken that, in
our view, is contrary to the values in the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms, as well as to the spirit of our times," the group wrote.
Those attaching their names to the letter included Allan
Hutchinson, associate dean of Osgoode Hall law school at York
University; Sanda Rodgers, dean-elect of the University of Ottawa
law school; Bernard Dickens, professor of law and medicine at the
University of Toronto; Gordon Bale, law professor at Queen's
University; and Bruce Feldthusen, law professor at the University
of Western Ontario.
"A vote against this bill would represent a corresponding
resistance to the values embodied in our Constitution," the group
wrote.
"This is made clear by ... recent judicial decisions in cases
concerning the rights of gays and lesbians."
Boyd argued that if Bill 167 fails to pass, courts will keep
striking down Ontario laws that discriminate against same-sex
couples, leaving "legal voids" that will then have to be filled on
a piecemeal basis.
At Queen's Park, the fist day of debate quickly disintegrated into
angry name-calling yesterday, culminating in the ejection of Tory
House leader Ernie Eves (Parry Sound) for yelling at Liberal MPP
Bob Chiarelli: "You are a liar!"
It was the first time in 13 years as an MPP that Eves has been
ejected.
"I think we're doing a disservice to all members of this House to
get into this kind of debate. As people continue to yell, let's
remember that we're talking about real people's lives here,"
pleaded Consumer and Commercial Relations Minister Marilyn Churley.
Economic Development Minister Frances Lankin later had tears in her
eyes as she spoke about her personal friendships with gay and
lesbian parents and implored MPPs to support the bill.
Debate will continue today.
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a vote on the bill, approval in principle and referral to committee
for clause-by-clause study, is expected early next week.
Chris
--
Chris Ambidge / ambidge@ecf.toronto.edu / ambidge@ecf.utoronto.ca
chemical engineering / university of toronto
200 college st / toronto ON / M5S 1A4 // 416 978 3106